Welcome to Grounded Living.

If your instagram feed is full of memes about dysfunctional family dynamics, what it’s like to be an Eldest Daughter, or anything related to being in the Gifted and Talented Program as a child, welcome! You’re in the right place.

How’s your high level career and/or late ADHD diagnosis going? I’m kidding. Kind of…

Since you’ve found yourself here, I’m guessing you might say that you’re outwardly successful but still find yourself feeling inadequate. I'd also guess you’re feeling burnt out; like you are simultaneously doing too much and not enough. You love your full life but you find yourself feeling disconnected and lonely. You’re desperate to show up more authentically in your relationships but have no idea what that looks like.

Like many of my clients, you’ve probably been so focused on pleasing others (think: bosses, kids, clients, challenging family members, partners) for so long that you’ve lost touch with your own needs. Taking care of yourself might even feel selfish or you worry that you’re burdening other people. You might feel a tinge of resentment because other people aren’t jumping in to take things off your plate because you OBVIOUSLY HAVE SO MUCH GOING ON…but it’s fine!

And it’s exhausting because you’ve already tried a bunch of things on your own, but nothing seems to bring the long-term relief that you are looking for. What you do know is that being hard on yourself isn't working anymore. You're ready to release your death-grip on perfection, but that feels like taking a step in the dark.

I get it. As a self-identified recovering perfectionist, I know what a huge shift it is to go from handling it all on your own to inviting people in and asking for what you really want and need. If you’re tired of trying to untangle the mess of your inner world alone, let’s chat.

Meet the Team

  • Kim Konderla, MSW, LCSW (she/her)

    Owner, Licensed Clinical Social Worker

    I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker serving folks in the state of North Carolina. I am a self-identified recovering perfectionist, a hobby gardener, and an avid consumer of warm beverages. I lean heavily on humor to connect and strongly believe in the catharsis of a good swear word.

  • Murphy (she/her)

    Office Manager

    Rarely where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there. When I’m not snoozin’ (which is most of the time) you can find me procuring snacks and running security detail for the office.

My Approach

In clinical lingo, my practice is influenced by attachment theory, polyvagal theory, and Internal Family Systems. I also incorporate somatic work. Let me break that down for you:

I am here to help you take a deeper dive into your emotional experiences so that you can better understand yourself, your patterns, and your relationships. Using the therapeutic space and relationship, I will help you learn to feel safe with your emotions and the emotions of others.

Because I primarily work with women in whom anxiety manifests as perfectionism, high performance, and people pleasing, our work together will likely include learning how to identify and confidently communicate needs. We will probably (definitely) talk about boundaries and self-care. We will spend some time getting to know the many parts that make up YOU. This will give us an opportunity to address that voice that says things “you aren’t good enough” or “was that really your best?” and figure out where it came from.

I am also a “where do you feel that in your body?”, “does this sensation feel familiar?” kind of therapist. Women are socialized to be disconnected from their emotions and physical experiences, so a big part of my job is to help you safely come back to yourself in this way.

I love helping busy, high achieving women learn that their enoughness does not depend on their performance, and their excellence is not due to their death grip on perfection. I help my clients learn to offer themselves compassion instead of criticism so that they can be fully present with what is already good in their lives.

I have also completed training with Postpartum Support International and enjoy walking folks through family planning, perinatal and postpartum mental health concerns, and grief/loss (including adoption and foster care).

About Virtual Therapy

*How lucky am I that I get to sit in my favorite chair and talk to lovely people like you everyday!?

The biggest benefit of virtual therapy is that you don’t have to put on real pants to go to session. The second biggest benefit is that virtual therapy offers a level of flexibility that we don’t quite have with traditional face-to-face therapy. You can participate from the comfort of your home, office, or wherever you’re most comfortable (as long as you are safe and have privacy). I recommend comfy pants, a cozy beverage, and maybe even a blanket (or fuzzy pet!).